Hamilton

Who tells your story? Who tells my story? Talk less, smile more. Tonight I saw the musical Hamilton (2020) on Disney+. To begin with let me tell you I do know a little about the founding fathers of America, but not the story of Hamilton (1) and I am not an American, but born and raise in The Netherlands (2). And before I say more, the musical is just great.

I like all the players, the costumes, the dance and the songs. When you ask me who of the five players you like best I would say Lin-Manuel Miranda as Hamilton, Daveed Diggs as Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, Jonathan Groff as King George (such a great performance!) and Chris Jackson as George Washington. Offcourse a great compliment for Miranda, who was also responsible for the story and music; he also was one of the producers.

There where great scenes and songs throughout. I find the hip-hop awesome from the beginning to the end. As a not-American I had a little time to adjust, but with the capital on a little time. With the first song going I became fascinated. Okay yes, the best enjoyment would be to have been there live. Never the less, seeing it on your television has also positive things for it to say. Some scenes you can see from a different angle and you get some fine close-ups. To end, as said, a great musical I enjoyed very much.

I was fortunate enough to see Hamilton 3 times in Chicago, including once from the second row thanks to a friend winning the lottery. How did this compare? WAY better than I expected, honestly. I noticed new moments. I saw the original cast in a new light. I experienced the story like I was onstage. There's nothing quite like being in the theater, but this may be the closest a film crew ever got to capturing theater magic. (I wish the RENT movie had been a recording of a 1996 production...) Hamilton represents a unique moment in American theatre, and I'm grateful someone captured it.

Very intense! I knew the cast album, but it still was amazing. The performances were better than the album, more emotional. Eliza's sceenes were believable, King George was funny. Jefferson and Hamilton go against each other, and the audience loved it. Even though I knew it was coming, Hamilton's final scene was horrible. The audio describer was good, sometimes describing the action during the applause, before the singers started singing, or describing during a song. For example, before the Skuylar Sisters song starts he says, "Burr." Then, he said "The Skuylar sisters hold up their silk gowns, dancing in the center of the rotating stage." After that song, he describes the next one before they start singing. Thank you, Disney Plus for funding the audio description.

Although many musical adaptations have flopped this may have proved that best way to do it is simply film the play. What you get is one of the best musicals available to watch whenever you like at an affordable price. Great work by everyone involved especially Lin Manuel Miranda.

I am not even a fan of musicals, but this is excellent. The songs are great, as they are upbeat and modern. The production, acting, stage set up and the story are all great. I really enjoyed it.